Middlesbrough’s latest Championship outing saw them face off with Sunderland on Saturday, September 21st.
Boro went into the game knowing a defeat would deal them a major blow in their promotion chase.
Middlesbrough had won two, drawn two and lost one of their opening five Championship fixtures prior to Saturday.
While that is a massive improvement on Boro’s start from the 2023/24 season when they failed to win any of their opening five games, it was still disappointing.
Michael Carrick has watched his side drop points to ‘weaker’ teams including Derby County and Portsmouth.
In turn, when the Teessiders travelled to the Stadium of Light, they were expected to face their toughest test of the campaign so far.
That proved to be the case with Chris Rigg putting the Black Cats 1-0 up after 24 minutes on Saturday.
Michael Carrick must drop Neto Borges after Sunderland vs Middlesbrough
It was a tough afternoon for several Middlesbrough players, with Finn Azaz once again struggling out wide.
Isaiah Jones’ dismal end product remains a cause for concern but Carrick has a much bigger problem to deal with right now.
After Lukas Engel started the campaign poorly, Middlesbrough signed Neto Borges to provide some much-needed cover at left-back.
The left-side of Boro’s defence was their weakest area in the early stages of the campaign and while there was hope the Brazilian would solve that issue, the Sunderland game showed that would not be the case.
The 28-year-old was caught out of position on numerous occasions and had rings ran around him by Patrick Roberts.
Borges’ defensive display was woeful and though he did provide some attacking threat, it was not enough to justify his continued inclusion in the eleven and he should be dropped for Middlesbrough’s next fixture.
Middlesbrough replacement for Neto Borges is obvious
With Alex Bangura out with his second long-term injury since moving to England, Middlesbrough’s left-back options are limited.
Engel had a knock of his own recently but even if he was fit, he should not be brought back into the starting line-up.
But with Borges needing to be replaced after his poor showing on Saturday, there is one clear option Carrick must pick.
Before the South American joined Boro last month, Carrick was using academy star George McCormick as a backup left-back.
The 20-year-old is a natural central defender but excelled during pre-season when deployed on the left of a back four.
The youngster would offer Middlesbrough much more solidity at the back as he would not be inclined to push as high up the pitch.
And as he is actually a centre-back, is it obvious he will be better than the likes of Borges and Engel at dealing with the defensive side of the game.